A few months ago I wrote a post where I share my personal view on how in the -not too distant future- most of the Apps that we will create will be for 3D (link) environments. To give me a little more packing, I wrote another post where I compared the history of the Mouse with the “current moment of 3D environments” (link).

Nota: Hackerman was ahead of his time.

For me one of the important points in this moment he is seen as Microsoft searched hardware partners outside their Hololens Microsoft to continue maturing Windows Holographic platform. For example the case of Acer and their “Mixed Reality Development Edition” (link) or the brand new “Windows Mixed Reality Portal“, included in the latest version of Windows 10 Insiders.

There is a very large group of people behind all this innovation. However, one of the best-known public faces is Alex Kipman (@akipman). He is popularly known as “Hololens Father“. According to his point of view, the Augmented Reality revolution will be superior even to the smartphone revolution. The following sentence is which sustains its vision of the future:

“The potential of these devices,” he said, is that they could one day “replace your phones, TVs, and all these screens.” Once your apps, videos, information, and even social life are projected into your line of sight, you won’t need any other screen-based gadgetry. Kipman calls it the “natural conclusion” of mixed reality.

Note: The full article in Business Insider is almost mandatory.

The interesting thing about this change, in my opinion, is that it is not a product/platform/technology focused at the Enterprise level or event at users or entertainment levels. The change of AR / MR affect all aspects of our way of life. Once we begin to interact with virtual environments, we will see them at home, at work and little by little they will be part of our day to day.

But well, I don’t want to write about my vision of the future, I have already done so. What I want in this case is to highlight the words of Alex Kipman, which gives them thanks to the vision and the support of Satya Natella. It stresses how, thanks to the effort and support to different teams over the years, today Microsoft has all the tools necessary to create a platform of mixed reality and a device as Microsoft Hololens.

The teams that have allowed Mixed Reality to get this far has been

Azure, a must have for all holograms calculations and processes modeling

The Windows team.Microsoft needed a change of paradigm in its vision on an OS and Windows 10 was the tool which makes it happen

Microsoft Surface Product Team, which has been instrumental in the design and development of the hardware of Hololens

Mojang, yes the Minecraft guys! which have provided clarity and experience to improve the user experience

Microsoft Kinect. Recognition of movements, spatial perception, and other Kinect technologies has served to be able to provide these capabilities to Microsoft Hololens

And more.

Note: Many people think that Kinect was a failure as a program and a product. I totally disagree with this. Personally, I think that the device did not work as a consumer product, even if they sold 29 million devices., Anyways, the Kinect experience has left much available knowledge to create new ideas. For example Microsoft Hololens.

Once you understand how the Microsoft Hololens works (link), then also you realize a number of resources and capabilities which are required to bring forward a concept such as Mixed Reality. It is also in that moment where you begin to understand which are the best scenarios where this technology can be applied.

If you have not seen yet, this video summarizes the concept of Mixed Reality perfectly.